It's a Tradition
by Ryuuki
Summary: For Citca-Kun's contest. Neuro learns something useful while watching a Christmas movie with Yako. He has found the ultimate torture...but it involves mistletoe? N/Y
1. The Movie

_Author:_ Hello! I wrote this for Citca-Kun's contest...but I ended up making it too long lol. It's 4 chapters. But don't take this story seriously. Really _; Well, I hope you enjoy it!

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own MTNN. I would have more money if I did T_T

**It's a Tradition**

**Chapter 1****: The Movie**

Movies.

Boring, predictable human created trash. How humans could so easily be entertained was beyond him.

The crime was redundant.

The romance scary.

The comedy stupid.

And the mysteries were so easy that he wouldn't even call them mysteries.

He didn't understand how they could watch it, and for hours at a time. They wasted away their short lives in front of a box. But then here he was, sitting on the couch with a small human female sitting next to him. Scattered all around were TEN bowls of popped popcorn, extra butter of course. Yes, this thing they called a movie was pointless, but for him it could prove to be educational. So much of it was based on their perception of reality, that it was the best way to study and learn more about them. Human nature was one small area with which he needed help. But, that was what the creature sitting next to him was for.

Servant number one, Katsuragi Yako.

Although her crime solving skills were almost zero, her ability to uncover the motive behind the crime was astounding. As much as he hated to admit it, he never would aloud, he was impressed. But she wasn't good enough...not yet. She still had to evolve to something greater, though it was proving difficult. And if she wouldn't evolve like she was supposed to, she might as well be a slave to a superior species. Usually his torture took care of that, but with Yako, it wasn't working. Whether it was because her brain was so underdeveloped or something else, he really didn't know. It bothered him that she was a mystery he had yet to unravel. And so, here he was. Not only did it give him some insight into the human mind, it also gave him new ideas for torture. This was how he found out what made Yako's skin crawl.

**That** was always enjoyable.

Trying to get his mind to stop wandering, they were only 10 minutes into the movie, he glanced over at Yako. She was intently watching, shoveling popcorn into her pig mouth. She had already finished about 3 of the extra large bowls of popcorn, and was working on her 4th. He resisted the urge to knock the popcorn to the floor. No, that would have to wait until her last bowl. He grinned evilly, anticipating it already.

Turning his attention back to the movie, he was just in time to see an adult male fall down because of the ice, cursing as he got up. He chuckled darkly. Watching clumsy humans hurt themselves...that tickled his sadistic humor.

It was December, almost Christmas according to Yako. She had explained that it was some kind of gift giving day, celebrating the birthday of a person that all creatures in hell had heard of. They would use any excuse for a holiday.

Such lazy animals.

That being the case, she had insisted on watching a Christmas movie. Going to the store, there was a HUGE collection of these so called "Christmas movies". She was slowly looking through them...until he subtly threatened her life. They were back 5 minutes after that.

He continued to watch, his eyes glazed over in boredom. Something on the screen stirred his curiosity. The male was carrying something that looked like a pine branch. Sneaking oh so cleverly through the house, he reached the door of the female he was trying to court, but whom so far was showing no interest. Carefully and as quietly as he could, he somehow got the branch to hang from the doorway above his head. Smiling triumphantly, he then knocked on the door of the female. A few seconds later, the door opened and she appeared. Yako gasped quietly next to him.

Was that branch some kind of weapon?

Good. Murder would make this movie so much more enjoyable.

It didn't look like it could hurt anything, but then humans were very fragile. Nothing happened though, only talking. He shot a quick glance at Yako; she was tense and looked like she was holding her breath. So something was supposed to happen. It was very hard to focus enough to listen. Normally he just ignored most normal human conversations altogether.

He was still trying to focus when he heard Yako release her breath and felt her shudder. Sparing a quick glance her way, he saw her grimace in disgust. Shifting his eyes to the movie to see what made her so disgusted; he saw the guy was holding the girl. Looking closer he realized that he was kissing her. And she didn't look pleased. Forcing himself on a female.

Tasteful.

But then he had never had that problem. Females in the demon realm always swarmed to him, and even most human females stared at him with a look he knew well. That was one thing demons and humans had in common it seemed. But she wasn't resisting even though she didn't like it. Yako started ranting at that moment, after the shock wore off. The disgusted look was still on her face as she talked and talked. He caught something about how it wasn't fair; men are jerks...blah blah. He didn't quite understand.

"Why are you complaining louse?"

Yako took a deep breath.

"Can you believe him?! She told him a million times that she wasn't interested and he stilled played such a dirty trick on her!!!"

She huffed in frustration. Even though it was just actors playing a role, she looked genuinely disgusted.

"Trick?" He asked interested.

"The mistletoe."

Her look said 'everyone knows that'. It changed quickly when she felt the crushing pressure that his hand created on her head.

"It's a tradition for humans!" She shrieked out.

He took some pressure off so she could talk without hurting his ears.

"During the holidays we hang it up, usually by doorways. When two people are underneath it, they are supposed to kiss. It's like a rule."

She visibly relaxed when he released her head. She shuddered once before continuing.

"When I was younger, a guy I knew tricked me under the mistletoe with him..."

"Offering you food?" He said it more as a statement then question.

"YES! How horrible is that!? Tricking a poor girl into thinking there was a 10 course meal in the next room…how disgusting!"

She didn't realize that anyone with more than food on the brain would have realized such an obvious trick. But then her expression changed as she remembered what happened. The look on her face stirred something inside him. Yako was still very upset over it, and it bothered him.

"He forced you to kiss him? And you had to because of the mistletoe?"

"Yes" she grimaced "it was my first kiss too. It was disgusting! I've never been able to see anything that even looks like mistletoe again. And I was so revolted from the kiss that I haven't wanted to try again."

She looked down with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Not really good if you want a boyfriend. But that incident cured me of the idea."

He stared at her for a moment, trying to understand this feeling he felt. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't like it. Her attention went back to the movie, but it was already over, she had forgotten to stop it. But she didn't move to go rewind it; she looked like she was lost in her thoughts. Neither felt like watching it any longer.

Abruptly he got up, scaring Yako a little. As he walked past the girl, he knocked the popcorn bowl out of her hands, forcing her treat to scatter onto the floor. And as he proceeded to the door, he knocked over all the remaining bowls.

It made him feel a little better.

He didn't need to turn around to know Yako had a shocked expression that would soon turn to sadness and depression from her loss of good food.

"Movie time is over pig. I have things that I must attend to. Leave and return tomorrow. Don't be late..." he opened the door and turned around "...or else..." He didn't finish as he slipped out the door, greens eyes blazing. She could fill in the blanks. He grinned evilly. Such a perfect plan he had!

The ultimate torture.

He could hardly wait for tomorrow when she returned to the office. Maybe, just maybe...this would finally make her surrender to him.

He could only hope.


	2. Preparations are Complete

_Author: _Hello again! The next two chapters are kinda just fillers before his actual plan unfolds. I was planning on editing them out but...I wrote them already so oh well haha. Thank you all so much for the reviews! This one is short, but please enjoy! :)

**/////////=POV change  
**

**It's a Tradition**

**Chapter 2: Preparations are Complete**

Sunlight streamed through the window, warming the bed, and stirring the sleeping girl.

Slowly, Yako opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was her ceiling, clear except for the spinning fan. For some reason, she always expected him to be there, watching her with his bright green eyes.

Maybe she was just losing her mind.

Pushing the feelings she didn't want to think about aside, her brown eyes shifted to the clock by her bed. She REALLY didn't want to be late again. Her still sleepy eyes read 7:10...and she didn't have to be at the office until 9:00. Irritation coursed through her body.

'I really need to get some blinds' she thought.

Yako rolled to her side and tried to go back to sleep. But like last night, her mind kept her awake. Something about the way Neuro had looked at her the night before made her heart speed up and her mind work overtime. While telling the demon her story, she caught a look on his face that she had never seen before. But before she could decipher it, he had put his mask back on. The mask that pushes people away, that says no one is allowed any deeper than that.

The girl sighed. She wanted to understand him, to be able to know him better, but he wouldn't let her.

Or maybe he didn't know how to let her in.

Every time she asked a question that would hopefully open him up a bit, he would resort to teasing or, in the worse case scenario, torture. Sometimes he would even ignore her altogether. But the worse case scenario occurred more often.

She kept telling herself it didn't matter, that she was only a lowly human to him. But then, every once in awhile he would do something that would make her doubt that.

Maybe…Or maybe it was just a demon thing. It's not like she knew many sadistic demons from Hell.

Her mind kept going over everything a million times, like most girls often do. The feelings she had pushed aside earlier, and always did when they popped up, tried to resurface. Again she snuffed them out before her mind could take hold of them and tell her what they really meant. Suppressing such strong feelings always exhausted her, and before she knew it, sleep claimed her once again.

**//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////**

It was all set up.

All his preparations were complete. Now all he needed was for her to come running in. She was always late, so he knew she would.

He climbed onto the ceiling taking his position to ambush her. The room was almost completely full of them. No matter where she walked in the room, she couldn't get away from it.

A smug grin appeared on his face.

She would surely surrender to him now. A trauma like this would break her. But a small part of him hoped that if she did surrender, she would wait until after he had done it.

It surprised him, to be hoping for such a thing.

He realized he was actually anticipating her shock to paralyze her at first, so that he would have no reason not to. Quickly he pushed those idiotic feelings away, crushing them before they could take root.

Surprising indeed.


	3. The Dream

_Author:_ Another short, pointless chapter lol. Next one is the last! Enjoy :D

**It's a Tradition**

**Chapter 3: The Dream**

She was walking in a forest of pine, or at least that's what she thought it was. Little patches of light guided her way down the trail. There were no animals, no wind, and no noise. It was so silent that it was almost deafening. After a moment, she could spot a brighter light ahead.

"A clearing perhaps?" Yako spoke aloud to break the silence.

She jogged toward it, hoping to finally leave the forest that seemed to want to close in around her. When she reached the light, she realized with relief that it was a clearing like she had first thought.

But, she wasn't alone.

Her first instinct was to run, but then she recognized the blue suit. Blonde hair sparkled in the rays of the sun, the triangles on the end reflecting small bits of light back up at it.

"Neuro?" All the uncertainty melted away from her heart as soon as she realized who it was. He always seemed to do that to her. Whenever she found herself scared, she just had to think of him and it all fell away. That's not what you feel, typically, when you think of a demon.

At the sound of his name, his head turned slightly. Then suddenly, he wasn't there anymore.

The shadows on the ground told her that he was now behind her. Not just that, she could feel him. His breath felt hot on her neck, but she still shivered. And then suddenly, he turned her around so that they were face to face. He bent down, so close that their noses almost touched.

"Surrender to me" his velvet voice purred.

And at that moment, that was all she wanted to do. She looked up into his bright green eyes, searching for the cruel humor that was always there when he teased her. But all she saw was a desire she had never seen before in his eyes.

It was hunger, but a different kind of hunger.

Her heart raced like the wings of a hummingbird. A smile appeared on his face, not cruel or mocking, but a true smile. And then his face was slowly getting closer…

Then she was suffocating, and there was a loud buzzing in her ears. She quickly opened her eyes, and found that all she saw was white. Lifting her head up, she saw what was blocking her breathing.

"Damn pillow" she cursed as she flung it across the room. And then the dream she just had hit her with the force of a hurricane. Heat burned her face almost painfully.

She took a deep breath.

Gathering her strength, she forcibly pushed the dream, and even her blush aside. She didn't need things like that cluttering her mind when she had the sadistic demon from her dream in her life. Yako knew she could never let him know about the dream. Neuro had enough ideas for torture, giving him anymore would almost be unfair. Then she turned to look at the clock, and whatever emotions she was still feeling turned into pure horror.

9:30….

9….31….

"I'M LATE!!!!!" and as easy as that she forgot the dream. Scrambling from bed, Yako turned into a tornado as she whipped through her room to get ready. But that's what happens when you're faced with almost certain death.

Yako would later realize that she should pay more attention to her dreams.


	4. Mistletoe

_Author:_ Last chapter! YAY! Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Please enjoy!

**It's a Tradition**

**Chapter 4: Mistletoe**

Neuro looked at the clock.

"Pathetic woodlouse."

Punishing Yako would be so much fun, and with how late she was, he would have to prolong her suffering.

Then he felt her.

He always knew when she was approaching because her scent was easy to track. It was a flowery scent, almost sweet in taste. He always wondered what a mystery from her would be like.

She was running full speed and he predicted that she would most likely trip in 5 seconds. He could smell the light scent of her blood, telling him she must have fallen before as well. And then down she went, face plastered to the cement. He felt it, and could almost picture it in his head. Neuro chuckled. Walking across the ceiling, and jumping over the fan, he went to the window. He couldn't see her yet, but knew that she was fine and had recovered quickly from her fall.

And then there she was.

Faded jeans and a black tank top, not exactly what she usually wore. But she probably just put on anything that was nearby in her rush to get dressed. He could imagine her scrambling to get ready in the pig sty she called her room. Yako slowed down and almost skidded into an old woman while trying to get into the building.

Now....it was time.

Neuro went back into his ambush position. His mouth watered in anticipation.

**/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////**

'He's going to kill me' Yako thought as she ran towards the office door.

Even from where she was, she could feel an evil aura coming from the room. He had something planned. Neuro knew she was here, and was just waiting for her to open the door. Maybe a pen would be thrown, or a stapler, possibly even a book or god forbid all three. But she was so late; maybe he would resort to something even bigger…like the couch.

The thought almost made her stop.

But then Yako knew Neuro would just make it worse for her if she hesitated. Almost to the door, she took a deep breath...well, as deep as she could while still running at full speed. Her hand reached the door knob and she closed her eyes. She pushed open the door and ran in.

"Sorry I'm late!!" it came out almost like a plea for mercy and then she braced herself.

Silence.

Realizing her eyes were still closed, she slowly opened them. Yako was shocked. The dream came rushing back, and she was surprised by how much it was like the present situation. It wasn't pine, not this time, but mistletoe....the plant and tradition she hated the most. And it was everywhere.

Yako couldn't walk two steps without being next to, touching, or under mistletoe. She had to say, he was elaborate with his tortures. If she wasn't so shocked and disgusted, she might have even been impressed. She cringed away from the disgusting things and started to turn towards the door to flee when she heard it slam. She didn't even need to turn around to know that there was no way she was getting out of here anytime soon. Looking at the door, her gut instinct was right. There attached to the door, surrounded by mistletoe, was a demon creature she knew well. Neuro always let it loose when he didn't want her leaving the office.

"Hi Bella" she had even given it a name. If it wasn't for the big teeth and acid drool that spilled from its mouth, she would almost say Bella was cute. It wiggled a bit as if in answer, but she knew it would bite her head off if it was given the chance. She sighed.

'What is Neuro up to now?' she thought tiredly.

Trying not to touch any of the green that surrounded her, she stepped deeper into the room. It was empty as she had first thought.

"Neuro?" she called out.

She then heard the soft tap of feet touching the floor. Sudden nervousness paralyzed her, so much so that she couldn't even turn around. Yako could only stare out the big window like a sitting duck. She didn't hear footsteps, but then she had never been able to hear his movements. Neuro's actions were always silent; it was just his mouth that was loud and obnoxious. Yako could feel him though, sense him behind her. And then she saw his shadow walk right up behind her. She could feel his breath; it was as warm as she had dreamed it.

Yako shivered.

His nose lightly touched her hair, and she could swear he was taking in her scent.

"Surrender to me Yako" he purred softly into her hair.

She thought she could hear a slight tint of desperation in his voice. Her heart raced faster and warmth spread throughout her body. And just as quickly, he had his hands around her arms and she was turned around. Now fully facing him, she immediately spotted his mocking grin and saw the cruel humor in his eyes.

She almost felt like crying.

So he was toying with her, toying with her emotions and her fragile heart. Yako closed her eyes and looked down. Her reaction surprised him, but she couldn't see that.

"Its tradition" she heard him say, sounding **almost** not over-confident like he usually was.

Looking back up, she could see now that his mask was gone. Bright glowing green eyes stared into her chocolate brown ones. He was letting her see into him, just a little bit. She could see the same emotions in his eyes that she saw in her dream.

Desire and a strange hunger...a hunger for her she realized.

The warmth returned to her body and her heart pumped rapidly. But he wasn't moving, almost like he was afraid to. Neuro was never afraid, not even when it was a life and death situation.

He just needed a little push.

Standing on the tip of her toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down to her. It felt like slow motion to her before his face was on level with hers. His eyes were slightly wide, as if in surprise that she was being so bold.

Smiling a soft smile, she closed her eyes and lightly kissed him on the lips. She couldn't see Neuro's reaction, but she could feel it when he relaxed under her lips. Gingerly, almost like he was afraid to hurt her, Neuro wrapped his arms around her to draw her closer, thus deepening the kiss. Yako moaned at this, surprising herself and encouraging Neuro to continue. His hands started to roam, and she made little whimpering noises. It felt good to have his hands on her skin. And she returned the favor, letting her hands roam a little as well.

Yako was so engrossed with Neuro and his kiss, that she didn't hear it when someone opened the door. Neuro must have been as into it as her because he looked caught off guard too. They both whipped their heads to look at who had come in.

Standing in the doorway was a very shocked, embarrassed Godai. It's amazing when someone can get even redder then their own shirt. Before Neuro could recover and react to the intrusion, Yako caught Godai's eyes from the doorway, which were wide with shock. She smiled sweetly at him.

"Its tradition" she whispered loud enough for Godai to hear.

And with that he slowly backed out the doorway, and quietly closed the door. There was silence for about half a second before running footsteps and incoherent cursing could be heard fleeing down the hallway.

Yako chuckled softly. She looked up to find Neuro staring at her intently with green eyes softly glowing. And then he smiled. And for once it didn't fill her with dread; it was a smile that warmed her heart. She smiled back at her sadistic demon.

Finally, they had found a torture that they both could enjoy.

"Mistletoe isn't so bad I guess."

**THE END**


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